Saving Her
by PJC
Summary: Short story, Grissom decides it's finally time to do something, it's time to save Sara when she's stood stranded. GSR.
1. Chapter 1

All eyes turned to the woman who had just entered the room, including all the CSI's.

They were at the annual ball for the department, there were the usual collection of cops, detective, and investigators. Better yet, the Night shift had worked last year and so could all come this year and had handed the night over to the swing shift.

And every single last person in the room was gazing at the woman in the doorway.

Her dress perfectly fitting her curves, revealing just enough of her breast to gain interest but enough for imagination to play the rest, her dress clinging gently to the curves of her thighs as she stood on one hip. Her eyes shining, her smile beaming, oozing confidence. Even the men who knew her had to look carefully, she seemed so different than when in work.

The pressures which usually held her down seemed to be lifted, she was even standing differently as her hair curled slightly around her face and shoulders. Her make-up subtle enough to highlight her strengths and enough to cover any flaws she may have, which seemed impossible on a woman that beautiful.

Her eyes stopped searching the room as her gaze found the people she was searching for and made it over to Grissom's team.

Everyone's eyes were still following her as she walked across the suddenly motionless floor, her hips moving as she walked and her dress rustling enticingly, making her way to her friends.

There wasn't a single guy in the room who didn't even the men she was walking towards, especially those who recognised her going to Grissom and wondered how he of all people could have such an amazing woman aiming towards him.

No-one noticed her walking past Grissom and taking hold of Warrick's hand. They only saw her as she pulled him onto the dance floor.

Only Grissom was still stood staring at the doorway. The only one who had noticed the woman's shy companion who still stood frozen.

He continued to watch her as she stood there, surprised to see such a vulnerable side of her so open, as she tucked a strand of her glorious brown hair behind her ear.

He watched as he bit her lip and waited for someone to go and save her.

He barely felt Catherine knock him as she made her way onto the floor with Warrick, everyone's attention still on her.

But he had regained the ability to move.

He continued to watch the brunette in the door, she still needed saving, and he would be the one to do it.

INSERT LINE HERE

_Wasn't planning to add anything onto this but might continue it, just into a short fic, let me know what you think, or if you want it to be a one-shot b itself (and if you like it?)_

_Having to carry on without my memory stick_

_Again will try and update the rest soon._

_Will replace this chapter soon with updated version when get it back from my beta, just wanted to post it anyway in the mean time)_

_Please review and let me know what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

Grissom strode purposefully in the direction of the door, cutting through part of the dance floor and not even noticing.

He was half-way there when he faltered. Who was he kidding Sara wouldn't want him? She was beautiful, smart, young, amazing and everything he wasn't. He knew that the one thing he could match her in was CSI ability, and even in that she was making links in minutes which it would've taken him hours to get.

He paused and a young couple crashed into him as they danced. He mumbled some apologies to them, he looked up and any faint hope he had remaining was lost, they were both attractive and more importantly both young. There was probably a couple of years difference between there ages, a handful at most. He was 13 years Sara's senior, it was more than just a couple of years.

He backed away from the dance floor and back to the side. He still found her eyes irresistibly drawn back to her, he tried to resist the impulse to look at her, knowing it would only make it worse.

He forced his eyes to look the other way, unaware of what he was looking at.

He dimly registered the team talking amongst themselves and laughing happily. He looked at them more closely, seeing the bonds between them. He smiled as Nick punched Greg on the arm and almost laughed as Greg pretended to stumble from the strength of the punch.

He watched them a little longer and decided he ought to head back to them.

As he made to move he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder lightly, almost as though if they touched it any harder it might fly away.

"Hey" he heard a voice say quietly. He turned around.

Sara.

His throat seemed to dry out and he thought himself incapable of speaking.

"Sara" he croaked, painfully aware that her hand still rested gently on his shoulder.

He looked at her properly, but not daring to make eye contact, she was so beautiful to him that he couldn't stand it.

"'Scuse me" he muttered hoarsely before dashing off in the direction of the bar.

Sara sighed and let her hand fall back to her side.

She allowed herself a minute of peace before she fixed a false smile on her face and made her way towards the team.

Meanwhile Grissom downed the scotch he had bought, trying to stop the tingling still running up and down his arm sending jolt through him whenever it hit his shoulder where she had touched him even through his suit jacket.

* * *

Grissom hadn't yet left the bar, but had barely touched the water he had asked for after his scotch. He was staring down at the floor, his mind in turmoil, he didn't even seem to have enough sense left to work out properly whether it was Sara's touch that had disturbed, the realisation that he couldn't have her, or the realisation of how deep he wanted to.

He sighed slightly and dared to look in the direction of the team.

His eyes wandered to Sara and couldn't stop himself staring at the way her hair curled around her shoulders or the way the cut of her dress skimmed over her hips. She turned around slightly, he looked at her face and finally for the first time that night, met her gaze.


	3. Chapter 3

_Really short chapter, but the image I had in my head was a beautiful ending, didn't come out in words quite as well but nm, should be able to write next chapter and post it again soon._

* * *

His mouth almost fell open at the sight of her. She was smiling and looking happy, the team was doing that, yet there was still something in her gaze. A kind of pleading.

Suddenly it hit him, the look in her eyes seemed clearer to him now he was at the opposite side of the room than when he had stood only a few centimetres away. It hit him that this maybe had a chance, that she was at least open to the suggestion, she wanted something to happen as much as him.

He tried to move but was just frozen in her gaze, staring at her across the room, not noticing when someone walked between them, still seeing her even then. Finally the gaze was broken as Nick pulled Sara up to dance.

Grissom continued to watch her as her and Nick danced together. He looked down at his drink until the song ended, as he heard the final note fade away he pushed the drink firmly away, stood turned and started walking across to where Sara and the team were all sat.

The journey took longer than he would've liked as he made his detour around the edges of the dance floor. His brain started screaming doubts at him but he ignored them as his eyes searched for Sara's again. Part of him regretted that she was still talking to Nick and so wasn't facing or looking at Grissom, the other part of him knew that if she did look at him then he would freeze up again and not dare to carry on, this second part also noticed how her not looking at him allowed his eyes to roam over her figure again, finally landing back on her face and his gaze not moving from there.

He was almost at the table when Catherine turned and saw him, a question on her lips as she realised who it was, seeing his expression and who it was directed at she turned around again and motioned Warrick not to say anything either, trying to distract Nick so that Grissom could talk to Sara straight away before he had chance to think and back out of doing anything again, thankful that Greg was still out on the dance floor.

She managed to get Nick in conversation only a moment before Grissom reached the table, neither Grissom nor Sara realised that Catherine and Nick's conversation stopped when he reached the side of the table.

Grissom swallowed as he held a hand out to Sara.

"Dance with me?" he asked her hoarsely.

She stared for a moment at his hand before her eyes went up and searched her face.

It pained Grissom to see doubt in her eyes, not sure whether she should take the chance or not, he finally understood what she had been annoyed about all these years whenever he had pushed her away, now he was here, possibly offering everything she ever wanted, but she didn't know if it would just be like every other time. The goal just within reach before drawn away before her eyes and a cold shoulder replacing it.

He waited to see what she would do, his hand still held out to her.

Slowly she lifted up her hand and placed it gently in his.


	4. Chapter 4

Both stared at each other for a moment, shocked by the enormity of what they had done, with a simple question and a small movement they had both somehow agreed to take a chance on each other, to give it a go, to finally give in and forget about all the reasons they had been saying nothing could happen for years.

Silently Grissom pulled Sara up elegantly off her chair and led her onto the dance floor, never losing eye contact, watching each other for any slight hint that it was too far or not what they wanted, both dreading seeing the sign. Grissom pulled Sara gently into a close ballroom hold, their held hands clutched close to their chest, Sara's hand resting gently on his shoulder, his resting gingerly on her back, not quite daring to put more pressure there in case she vanished and it was all a dream.

He still couldn't help noticing the move of her dress over her skin, how he could feel the muscles in her back move as they slid over each other as together him and Sara made their way slowly around the floor.

Sara couldn't help her head moving closer and closer towards his shoulder, and as the floor became more crowded and they were reduced to swaying on the stop she finally let her head rest there gently.

She felt and heard Grissom suck a breath in, and pulled her head a fraction further away from him, she knew it had been too soon, it hadn't been that big a movement but it was still a big step for Grissom. Instead she lifted her head a small amount and just let it fall to the side of his. As she inhaled she could still smell his scent on the air and breathed in it's intoxicating smell, she hadn't realised just how well she knew small details like this about him until then.

The music faded out but neither stopped swaying or moved further away, they hadn't even been hearing the music by then, lost in their own world, only keeping in time with each other now. As the floor around them cleared as everyone stopped standing there and talking they finally realised that the music had ended.

Grissom didn't step away however even as he stopped them swaying, he knew if he looked at her he would lose his nerve. Sara held his hesitation and drew a deep breath in expecting the worse, especially when she pulled her head back and he still refused to look at her properly.

Finally he spoke, his voice quiet and tentative. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" he asked.

"Sure" she whispered back softly. Grissom nodded and took her hand and led her out of the ballroom.

Neither thought to say goodbye to the team and neither noticed them all staring open-mouthed at them as they walked out of the ballroom, Grissom walking a bit in front of Sara, still holding her hand gently.

"Well" Catherine croaked after a while, she cleared her throat and tried again. "I wasn't expecting that tonight" she managed.

Warrick could only shake his head, Nick wasn't even capable of that movement and Greg looked like he was trying to decide between throwing up and cheering but seemed to have instead opted for speechlessness.

Catherine sat down slowly, her eyes still staring at the door they had just left.

"About time too" she managed hoarsely.


	5. Chapter 5

As Grissom and Sara reached the outside, Grissom still leading, he suddenly had no idea where they were going or where they could go.

He stopped and pulled Sara to a halt as he did, she looked back at him concernedly, "what's wrong?" she asked gently.

Grissom simply shook his head, "Nothing. Where do you want to go?" he suddenly asked her.

Sara despite everything that was happening now and had happened and was going to happen, was still curious about how he lived and what his house was like, "Your house is probably nearest."

Just as the words slipped out of her mouth she cursed herself saying them, it might seem to him like she was pushing or he might feel she was encroaching on his space or expecting things to change too quickly.

She opened her mouth to try and take back her words, hoping that she wouldn't overtalk like always, when Grissom nodded and seemed to come a decision. The words stuck in her mouth from the sheer shock and she swallowed as she kicked herself back into action.

"Did you have a car?" he asked her. She shook her head, she had come with Catherine tonight, it was why they had entered at the same time.

Grissom nodded and seemed to make another decision. "We'll go in mine" he told her shortly before dragging her in the direction of his car.

* * *

The journey was a quiet one, Sara was biting her lip to keep herself from saying anything, and Grissom seemed to be thinking and so she didn't interrupt.

Sara despite knowing he had agreed to go to his house was still surprised when he pulled up outside his town-house. She had never expected this level of trust from him yet, she knew Catherine had been there many times, but it still felt different somehow.

She was also shocked when Grissom opened her door for her and held her hand to help her out of the car, she was more shocked still when he didn't let go as he led her up the stairs to his front door. What surprised her the most though was how much she wanted him not to let go, not to ever let go of her hand.

He led her in, indicating that she sit on the sofa while he went into what she could only assume was the kitchen and came back holding 2 drinks. He placed them on the coffee table and sat close to Sara but said nothing.

After a while Sara felt the silence pressing on her and decided to break it.

"Griss," he looked up at her, "you said you wanted to talk."

He nodded at her and tried to speak, he cleared his throat, swallowed and tried again.

"I do want to talk, we need to talk, I just have no idea what I want to say." Sara almost gasped at him, Grissom was speechless! He was as nervous as she was, she finally realised that just as much was hinging on this for him as it was for her.

She didn't know how to reply and instead took his hand and held it silently.

A short while later without knowing how Sara had migrated into Grissom's arms and was quietly resting on him. He twisted slightly and lay down on the sofa, pulling her with him.

Sara didn't want to break the peace but knew she had to.

"Grissom, we still need to talk."

"I know" he replied gently "but I don't think either of us know what to say." Begrudgingly she had to agree and rested her head on him again.

Grissom began to speak again.

"Sara?"

"Mhmm"

"Can we just lay here for a while?"

She nodded slightly, "Sure."

"Thank you" he said and kissed the top of her head.

It was only a gentle kiss and nowhere near as intimate as either of them would've liked earlier that evening, but it still sent tingles down her spin as she breathed in and relaxed against him as sleep slowly overtook them both.


	6. Chapter 6

_This story seems to be a lot more from Grissom's POV than Sara's, might alter that, or might stick with it, unusual for me though that._

* * *

Grissom awoke with Sara still in his arms, still laying on the couch, he listened for a moment to her even breathing and realised she was still asleep. as his senses returned to him he tried not to groan as he noticed the pain in his back from laying on the couch all night. He shifted slightly to try and ease the pressure trying not to disturb Sara, seeing she was still sleeping soundly he instead moved slowly until he was sat up, before taking her into his arms and carrying her to his bedroom, he lay her gently on the bed.

After a moments thought he went and retrieved a blanket from a cupboard and threw it over her sleeping form.

After a seconds long gaze he walked back through to the kitchen, wincing slightly at his back again and breathing a sigh of relief when he stopped and rested against the kitchen counter.

He reached across and switched on his coffee machine, hearing the soothing regular sounds of the water heating and then the steam coming into the air as the coffee came out.

He took it and went to sit at the table, placing his hands around the mug to warm them.

He had no idea how long he sat there, long enough for the coffee to go cold without him noticing or taking a sip, he just sat and stared at nothing, the forefront of his mind entirely blank.

After a while he was broken out of his reverie by the sound of Sara moving about his house and he looked up in time to see her face peer around the door into the open kitchen/living room area. He baerly noticed that she was still in her evening dress from the ball. She saw him and smiled before walking into the room stood on her toes, she went to go and join him at the table.

She watched him for a moment as he placed his cold coffee back on the table. She reached for his hand.

She held his limp hand for a second before he shook it off and shifted on his chair so that he was a bit further away from her.

He looked up at her.

"Sara," he said seriously. "We need to talk."

* * *

_Sorry for the short chapter, but at least I've got going on the story again now which is a good sign, will try to update soon, next one probably Monday if I get time._


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey, sorry this actually has taken me forever to update, but a lot of stuff seems to have happened all close together, I think I've managed to get on the site once recently to post my untitled one and that's only 'cos that chapter was written even longer ago._

_Did know what they were going to talk about but can't remember now so I'll just try and write and see what happens. Wish me luck._

* * *

_"Sara," he said seriously. "We need to talk."_

* * *

She took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter in the chair, trying to brace herself for whatever was about to come.

She saw him hesitate, still obvious unsure what to say and she longed to reach out to him, to take his hand, to tell him that everything was ok. But she didn't know it was going to be ok, she didn't know what he was going to say, and she didn't know if reaching for his hand would make it worse.

"Sara, you know I'm a very private person" he began and she nodded to indicate she was still listening, "I really do think this could work, but ... there's gonna be problems, there's the team, there's the age difference, there's both of our backgrounds and histories, there's going to be problems at work, it'll be awkward and I'm your boss which won't look good.

"I feel that we could be perfect together if we had the chance, but I need to know that if anything does happen we're both gonna be in it together. That you're going to be risking as much going into a relationship as me. That you won't quit the instant we run into an obstacle."

Sara couldn't decide whether to be offended or not, he'd basically just been implying that she only wanted a short fling with him, or that she'd quit, she knew there were going to be problems, but she'd been waiting for this chance for year, she'd been waiting for him for years, she wasn't going to let a bunch of logistics stand in her way.

She didn't know how to reply and knew he wouldn't want an unthoughtout answer, so she stayed silent, a silence which soon Grissom filled.

"Sara, I know you'd need to go slowly and learn to trust me due to your parents, and I'd need to go steady too. Since my father died I've never really let people in, let them into my lives and shown them all of the really me, it's almost become a bad habit that I've done for so long that it might take years to break it. And I don't want to be entirely open and show you how much I love you for you to then just walk away."

He suddenly realised Sara was staring at him and realised what he'd said.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"That I'm not used to letting people in."

"No, after that."

"After that?" he replied, voice rising slightly, the words had slipped out and it was too late to take them back, besides they were true, but he couldn't say it again, not now he was thinking about it.

Sara watched him for another moment as though she could read his thoughts.

"I love you too" she whispered.

A smile broke out on his face and slowly seemed to spread across it lighting all his features up in turn. He still couldn't bring himself to say the words now that he was thinking about them again, but he didn't need to, in that moment Sara saw clearly just how much he cared for her and loved her.

So maybe they'd done things in the wrong order, they'd told each other they loved each other before they'd even shared their first kiss, a fact which Grissom seemed to realise.

He leaned over the table quickly and gently pulled her head towards him with his hand. He paused an inch away from her face for a second allowing their eyes to meet, before he closed the distance and kissed her strongly.

It was everything that could be wanted in a kiss and Sara suddenly felt as though she was flying with the combination of everything.

Grissom surprised himself by standing up without breaking the kiss and pulling her in the direction of his bedroom and Sara was just too happy to care.

Everything finally seemed to be working out.

* * *

_OK, planning to do one last closing chapter and then this will be finished, please review and let me know what you think considering this wasn't where the story was originally going._


	8. Chapter 8

_Looking back I still actually like this story, or at least the idea of it, which is rather shocking, but just letting you all know this IS the final chapter, sorry, 'cos I'm now tempted to carry it on but might do that another day in another story, for now this is it. Thanks for reading everyone who did._

* * *

Grissom glanced across the table at Sara, they did need to tell everybody and they both knew that and now finally seemed like the right time. It had only taken them 5 short years to reach this stage, sometimes it felt like a lifetime and sometimes it felt like Grissom had only dragged her out of the dance hall a few days ago.

But it seemed the right time to tell them.

It was 5 years to the say since they had both taken that chance, there was only a difference in the time of about 10 minutes before she had taken his hand for a single dance and their lives had truly started. At least having to tell the team that they had started going out had been avoided, they'd all been there that night and seen them dance together before leaving without saying goodbye, it didn't take CSI's to realise that something was finally going to happen between them, even if when Sara had told Catherine she didn't believe that they'd just gone to sleep and not slept together the instant they got home that night.

But now once again the team was reassembled at the annual ball and all had been given the night off for the occasion. It hadn't fitted the usual schedule but when both Grissom and Sara had heard that it was the night shifts turn to have the night off again it all seemed to click into place and the timing seem perfect.

Finally Catherine and Warrick came and sat down at the table, Warrick smiling and Catherine with pink tinged cheeks from the dancing.

Sara glanced across at Grissom and took his hand under the table feeling the cool of her ring on her finger.

"Guys, we've got something to tell you." Everybody looked around to face her and despite knowing them all so well she still started feeling self-conscious and stared at, she nervously started trying to tuck her hair behind her ear with her loose hand.

Grissom helped diffuse the tension by lifting their conjoined hands above the table.

The team stared at the hands for a moment, even after five years Grissom was still not good at showing affection in public, while at home he may have been one of the most intimate men Sara had ever known and seemed to always want to be in contact with her, the instant anyone was around them he could seem to not even catch her slightly for hours at a time until they were alone in his office where he would once again become affectionate. A fact which had greatly confused Sara at first, thinking he was embarrassed to be seen with her, the fact that he had then proposed to her and later reminding her that they both needed to still tell the team, confirmed that he wasn't and that he really was just bad a public affection.

The sight of seeing them holding hands was still enough to shock the team, they still after 2 years seemed unaccustomed to the sight of Sara's wedding ring on her finger with her normally wearing it on a chain around her neck while she was at work.

The moments glancing away and Grissom's slight squeeze of her hand was all she needed to finish her statement.

"We're having a baby!" she said excitedly. She found herself torn away from Grissom as Catherine pulled her into a warm hug and started muttering about seeing if she had any of Lindsey's old things left that they could use if they wanted them and asking her about names and offering her baby name books most of which Sara could barely follow. Grissom found the team patting him on the shoulder, and he couldn't help but feel happiness at it, he was going to be a daddy, he was going to have a baby, him and Sara were going to be parents.

They glanced at each other and seemed to decide to tell them all that they were going to be aunts and uncles and point out that fact to them later.

Sara finally managed to get free of Catherine and stop her muttering by passing her onto Warrick as Greg enveloped her in another hug before Nick did the same. Eventually she got free of the crowd and managed to move to stand next to Grissom.

As she reached his side the opening few chords of a song rang out smoothly into the room. It was the song he had first got her up to dance too, he held out his hand formally to her before quoting his own words from 5 years earlier, "Dance with me?"

She smiled and rested her hand in his and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor once again.


End file.
